National Folk Festival Announces Call for Food Vendors

For priority consideration, prospective vendors should submit applications by March 1, 2017

Free, 77th-anniversary event—returning to N.C. for the third year of its three-year residency—will attract as many as 150,000 visitors to see hundreds of performers on seven stages in downtown Greensboro, September 8 – 10, 2017

Greensboro, N.C., January 31, 2017 — Food vendors with experience serving high volumes of customers efficiently are welcome to submit applications to participate in the 2017 National Folk Festival. In 2016, the 76th National Folk Festival attracted more than 138,000 attendees to downtown Greensboro for the FREE, three-day weekend. Organizers expect attendance to increase by as much as 30% or more in 2017.

In keeping with the National Folk Festival’s overarching focus on the traditional arts, culture, and heritage of North Carolinians and all Americans, the Festival’s foodways will feature a variety of regional and ethnic foods as well as classic festival fare. Local Festival Director Amy Grossmann explained, “With choices to please every palate, our goal is to give festival-goers the opportunity to take a culinary journey around North Carolina, America, and the world.”

Online applications are available at nationalfolkfestival.com/food and must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. A committee will evaluate all applications received by the National Folk Festival.

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About the 2017 National Folk Festival: Co-produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and ArtsGreensboro, the National Folk Festival is celebrating the third year of its three-year residency in downtown Greensboro in 2017. The FREE, three-day event is America’s longest-running festival of traditional arts. nationalfolkfestival.com

About the National Folk Festival: Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. An exuberant traveling festival that embraces the diverse cultural expressions of the American people in the 21st century, the National Folk Festival is FREE to the public, and is produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) in partnership with communities around the country.

About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA): The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is one of the nation’s premier non-profit cultural organizations dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk, tribal, and ethnic arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. Its programs celebrate and honor deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, crafts, stories, and dance passed on through time by families and communities as well as by tribal, ethnic, and occupational groups. The NCTA stresses excellence and authenticity in presenting artists to the public in festivals, tours, concerts, media programs, exhibitions, recordings, and other activities, and works in partnership with communities across American to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that bring lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. www.ncta-usa.org

About ArtsGreensboro: With an annual budget of approximately $3.5 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through its ArtsFund-supported grant programs, the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, the Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series, and other opportunities including the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. artsgreensboro.org